Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes

by Michelle Gringeri-Brown, Jim Brown (Photographer)

Overview

Atomic Ranch is an in-depth exploration of post-World War II residential architecture in America. Mid-century ranches (1946-1970) range from the decidedly modern gable-roofed Joseph Eichler tracts in the San Francisco Bay area and butterfly wing houses in Palm Springs, Florida, to the unassuming brick or stucco L-shaped ranches and split-levels so common throughout the United States. Authors Michelle Gringeri-Brown and Jim Brown, founders and publishers of the popular quarterly Atomic Ranch magazine, extol the virtues of the tract, split-level, rambler home and its many unique qualities: private front facades, open floor plans, secluded bedroom wings, walls of glass, and an easy-living lifestyle. From updated homes with high-end Italian kitchens, terrazzo floors, and modern furniture to affordable homeowner renovations with eclectic thrift-store furnishings, Atomic Ranch presents twenty-five homes showcasing inspiring examples of stylish living through beautiful color photographs, including before and after shots, design-tip sidebars, and a thorough resource index.Atomic Ranch reveals:

• Hallmarks of the ranch style
• Inspiring original ranch homes
• Ranch house transformations and makeovers
• Preservation of mid-century neighborhoods
• Adding personality to a ranch home
• Yards and landscaping

Plus, a helpful resource section and index!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423608950
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	09/07/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	772,222
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Writer Michelle Gringeri-Brown and photographer Jim Brown publish the quarterly magazine Atomic Ranch, which features ranch homes built all across America. Their first book, Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes, was published by Gibbs Smith in 2006. They live in Portland, Oregon, in a 1952 brick ranch.Michelle Gringeri-Brown and Jim Brown publish Atomic Ranch magazine, a quarterly devoted to mid-century homes. Gringeri-Brown was the editor of American Bungalow magazine for nine years, and her freelance work has been published in Westways, the Los Angeles Times, Photographers' Forum, and Sunset magazine's View. Jim Brown is an editorial photographer with degrees in photography and English literature. His photo-graphy has been published numerous times in Motor Trend, Sunset, Motorcyclist, American Bungalow, Westways, Car & Driver, and Hot Rod. They both grew up in postwar ranch houses and strongly support the preservation of this overlooked architectural style.

Read an Excerpt

One look at the Borsellino-Kafka house and you might conclude that it''s a nice original home. It is and it isn''t, as the before photos show.

Monika Kafka and Tom Borsellino had already lived in this San Jose neighborhood before relocating to Chicago. But work and a hankering for the sunny, casual California lifestyle pulled them back. Borsellino found a house and bought it with his wife''s blessing but without her actually seeing it. He told her it needed a little work, and an early inspection indicated some dry rot and termite damage. Mostly it seemed to be suffering from claustrophobic ''60s-meets-Asian decor.

When the couple, with a two-year-old and two-month-old in tow, pulled up to move into the house, the front facade had been stripped down to the insulation, and the baby''s room was completely open to the street. It was 105 degrees outside, but an even more stunning 108 degrees inside. Kafka was not charmed.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

Inspiring Originals 8

Is My House a Ranch ?

Stunning Transformations 52

Modest Makeovers 88

Pure Fun 108

Outside the Ranch 136

Adding Personality 152

Preseving Midcentury Neighborhoods 175

Ranch Resources 190